Heuchera plant named ‘Electric Lime’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct hybrid of  Heuchera  plant characterized by large, gold to lime colored leaves, red colored veins in cool temperatures, white flowers on a short flowering stems, excellent vigor, and excellent tolerance to heat and humidity.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Electric Lime’.

Cross Reference to sibling: Heuchera ‘Electra’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/653,586).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera hybrid and given the cultivar name of ‘Electric Lime’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Electric Lime’ originated from a cross between Heuchera ‘Southern Comfort’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,364) as the seed parent, and Heuchera 426-2, a proprietary unreleased plant, as the pollen parent.

This new Heuchera is distinguished by:

-   -   1. large gold to lime colored leaves     -   2. red colored veins in cool temperatures,     -   3. white flowers on a short flowering stems,     -   4. excellent vigor,     -   5. excellent tolerance to heat and humidity.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a one-year-old plant of Heuchera ‘Electric Lime’ in flower growing in a one gallon container in early spring in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a one-year-old plant in bloom in the garden in the summer.

FIG. 3 shows a one-year-old plant of the new variety in October in the garden in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 4 shows a two year old plant in the summer that had been grown in the greenhouse in a one gallon container.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivar based on observations taken in May of a one-year-old specimen grown in a one gallon container in a cool greenhouse in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to and average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1999 edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.         -   Size.—14 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and             36 cm wide.         -   Habit.—Mounding.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color;             roots develop easily from cuttings. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Basal.         -   Shape.—Broadly ovate.         -   Lobing/division.—7 shallow lobes, the terminal is the             longest.         -   Venation.—Palmate.         -   Margins.—Crenate.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Base.—Cordate, lobes overlapping at the base.         -   Blade size.—11 to 14.5 cm long and 10 to 13 cm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Glandular on both sides.         -   Petiole description.—10 cm long and 2.5 mm wide, glandular             hairs, Greyed Orange 172B.         -   Leaf color.—Variable depending amount of light, temperature,             and age of the leaf; spring topside is a bright yellow green             with red veins, between Yellow Green 151A and Yellow Green             152D with veins Greyed Orange 172A, bottom side closest to             Yellow Green 152D; winter leaves are more lime, Yellow Green             146C with veins Greyed Orange 172A, bottom side closest to             Green Yellow 147D tinted Greyed Purple 185A; summer leaves             are lime with no red veins, Yellow Green 146C. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Size.—Grows to 16.5 cm long and 5.5 cm wide.         -   Type.—Thyrse.         -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—About 100 per thyrse.         -   Number of thyrse.—About 5 to 7 in spring bloom.         -   Peduncle.—Grows to 34 cm tall, 3 mm wide at base, Yellow             Green 152A near the top and Grey Brown 199A near bottom,             prominent glandular hairs, with no substantial cauline             leaves.         -   Pedicel.—Variable in size, with glandular hairs, Yellow             Green 151A.         -   Bloom period.—Late May to June in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—1.5 mm wide and 2.5 mm long.         -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid.         -   Color.—White 155A on top half and Green Yellow 1D on bottom             half. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Perfect.         -   Shape.—Campanulate.         -   Size.—4 mm long and 5 mm wide.         -   Petal description.—5 in number, reflexed, 2 mm long,             lanceolate, tip acute, margin entire, glabrous on both             sides, White 155D on both sides.         -   Calyx description.—Campanulate, 4 mm long and 4 mm wide,             with 5 lobes, divided ⅓ way to the base, glandular hairs on             outside, glabrous inside; lobes inside and out White 155A             except at tip Yellow Green 145C, acute, entire, Yellow Green             145D below lobes.         -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 2 mm long, White             155D, anthers sterile, 0.5 mm, Greyed Yellow 160D.         -   Pistil description.—1, 2-beaked, 3.5 mm long, ovary 1.5 mm,             Yellow Green 150C, style 2 mm long, Yellow Green 150D.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—Each thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the             plant. -   Fruit:     -   -   Type.—Two beaked capsule.         -   Size.—3.5 mm deep by 5 mm wide.         -   Fertility.—Good.         -   Color.—Brown 200D. -   Seed:     -   -   Shape.—Linear.         -   Size.—2 mm long.         -   Color.—Black, RHS 202A. -   Pest and disease tolerance: Excellent disease resistance to powdery     mildew, the common problem of Heuchera. Susceptible to Heuchera rust     and root weevils.

COMPARISON TO SIMILAR HEUCHERA

Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera ‘Southern Comfort’, the new hybrid has shorter flower stems and leaves that are lime green with red veins to lime rather than amber.

Compared to the pollen parent Heuchera 426-2, the new hybrid has larger leaves with stronger pubescence and lime to gold rather than green leaves.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Tiramisu’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,429), the new variety has much bigger leaves with red color in the veins rather than in and along the veins.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Electra’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/653,586), the new variety has a much larger habit, bigger leaves, and red veins only in cool temperatures rather than year round. 

1. A new and distinct hybrid of Heuchera plant as herein illustrated and described. 